IAF chief says India downed five Pakistani fighter jets of F-16 and JF-17 class

Indian Air Force chief Amar Preet Singh claimed on Friday that Indian forces had downed five Pakistani fighter aircraft during the fierce clashes between the two countries in May.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Air Force’s annual day, Singh said: “As far as the air defence part is concerned, we have evidence of one long-range strike... along with that five fighters, high-tech fighters between F-16 and JF-17 class, our system tells us.”

He added that the jets shot down included models from the F-16, a US-built aircraft, and the JF-17, jointly developed by China and Pakistan.

Singh had previously maintained that five Pakistani fighter jets and another military aircraft were destroyed during the conflict. On Friday, however, he refrained from commenting on Islamabad’s claim that Indian planes were downed in the fighting.

The four-day confrontation in May marked the most serious military exchange between the nuclear-armed rivals in decades. Fighter jets, drones, artillery, and missiles were deployed on both sides, leaving dozens dead before a ceasefire was reached.

Relations between New Delhi and Islamabad have deteriorated further since the Pahalgam attack, which India blamed on Pakistan. In response, India suspended implementation of a key water-sharing treaty — a decision Pakistan condemned as an “act of war.”